LEGACY GIVING:
Protecting the Keys for Generations
Adventure With Purpose
Join the Army Saving the Florida Keys
Born from the wreckage of Hurricane Irma in 2017, the Conch Republic Marine Army (CRMA) rose with a single mission: to clean, protect, and restore the precious marine habitats of the Florida Keys. What began as a small band of friends determined to help their community has evolved into a powerful grassroots movement, now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with more than 6,500 volunteers and hundreds of tons of debris removed.
MAKE YOUR IMPACT LAST FOREVER
The mangroves of the Florida Keys have sheltered marine life for thousands of years. They are the nurseries of our ocean — where snapper, tarpon, and lobster begin their lives, where wading birds nest, and where our islands find their first line of defense against storms. But every year, tons of marine debris wash into these root systems, strangling the habitat that so much life depends on.
Since 2017, the Conch Republic Marine Army and more than 7,400 volunteers have pulled over 650,000 pounds of marine debris from the mangroves, one cleanup at a time. A legacy gift ensures the cleanup and restoration of these mangrove habitats never stops. Long after we’re gone, the boats will still run, the volunteers will still muster, and the mangroves will still have an army protecting them.
Why a Legacy Gift?
A gift in your will or estate plan costs you nothing today, yet it becomes one of the most powerful gifts you will ever make. It fuels our boats, equips our volunteers, and funds the weekly cleanup and restoration missions that keep the Keys' mangrove habitats alive — season after season, generation after generation. That's the beauty of legacy giving: your gift keeps giving.
Join the mangrove legacy circle
Everyone who includes the Conch Republic Marine Army in their estate plans is invited to join the Mangrove Legacy Circle — a crew of forward-thinking friends whose gifts will keep our mission running for generations. Members are recognized (or may remain anonymous) and receive updates from the water, invitations to cleanups and events, and our deepest gratitude.
Ways to Leave Your Legacy
The simplest legacy gift. With one sentence in your will or living trust, you can leave a specific amount, a percentage of your estate, or the remainder after loved ones are provided for funding mangrove cleanups and restoration for years to come.
Name the Conch Republic Marine Army as a full, partial, or contingent beneficiary of your retirement account. It takes minutes on your plan administrator's beneficiary form, requires no attorney, and — because charities pay no income tax on these assets — it is often the most tax-efficient way to fund mangrove restoration for the long haul.
Name us as a beneficiary of an existing policy or donate a policy you no longer need. A modest premium today can become a major gift for the mangroves tomorrow.
Donating appreciated stock, bonds, or mutual funds held longer than one year lets you avoid capital gains tax and claim a deduction for the full market value — while putting more debris-hauling power on the water than a cash gift of the same cost to you.
If you are 70½ or older, you can give directly from your IRA — up to the annual IRS limit — without counting the distribution as taxable income. QCDs can also satisfy your required minimum distribution. It's a legacy gift you can see in action during your lifetime.
Donate a home, vacation property, vacant land, or other real estate you no longer need. A gift of real estate can let you avoid capital gains tax, claim a deduction for the property's fair market value, and turn an asset you're no longer using into lasting protection for the mangroves.
Join the mangrove legacy circle
Everyone who includes the Conch Republic Marine Army in their estate plans is invited to join the Mangrove Legacy Circle — a crew of forward-thinking friends whose gifts will keep our mission running for generations. Members are recognized (or may remain anonymous) and receive updates from the water, invitations to cleanups and events, and our deepest gratitude.
See Your Impact
Every gift to the Conch Republic Marine Army - no matter the size - puts a boat on the water, a crew in the mangroves, and pounds of marine debris pulled from the Florida Keys' fragile habitat. Here's what your legacy looks like in real terms.
$1k GIFT
Funds an entire cleanup trip — one boat, one crew, one day on the water.
$1,000 GIFT
Funds an entire cleanup trip — one boat, one crew, one day on the water. Every dollar covers the fuel, the equipment, and the hands that pull trash from the mangroves. One trip. Real impact.
$5k GIFT
Funds an entire cleanup trip — one boat, one crew, one day on the water.
$5,000 GIFT
Keeps CRMA on the water for an entire month. Five trips. Dozens of volunteers from across the country and around the world. The mangrove habitats that snapper, tarpon, and sea turtles depend on — a little cleaner.
$15k GIFT
Funds an entire cleanup trip — one boat, one crew, one day on the water.
$15,000 GIFT
A full quarter of operations — and a legacy these waters will feel for generations. Fifteen cleanup trips. Hundreds of volunteers. Enough to pull an estimated 6,000 lbs of debris from the fragile root systems that make the Florida Keys what they are.
$60k GIFT
Funds an entire cleanup trip — one boat, one crew, one day on the water.
$60,000 GIFT
A transformational gift that sustains nearly a full year of cleanups. The boats will still run. The volunteers will still muster. The mangroves will still have someone fighting for them. That's the kind of legacy that outlasts all of us.
let's Get Started
Step 1: Plan Your Gift
Talk with your attorney or financial advisor about the option that best fits your plans. If it would help to speak with a CRMA board member or officer during this step, we would be pleased to arrange that.
Step 2: Include Our Information
Use our legal name, address, and Tax ID in your estate documents.
Conch Republic Marine Army, 29196 Tulip Lane, Big Pine Key, FL 33043 EIN 82-4673083.
Step 3: Let Us Know
Fill out the form below so we can thank you and welcome you to the Mangrove Legacy Circle.
See sample language to include CRMA in your Estate Planning. Click Here
share your plans
Have questions, or already included us in your plans? We'd love to hear from you.